Recrudescence

Recrudescence

Recrudescence is the reappearance of a disease after it has been quiescent. For example, a clinical attack after parasites in the blood have dropped markedly and the disease has subsided. The parasites, e.g. Plasmodium, which are responsible for the disease Malaria, can persist in the blood without causing apparent symptoms for a few months. It occurs mainly due to suppression of the immune system. This is an important difference between recrudescence and relapse (which occurs due to reactivation of hypnozoites in the liver).